Aircraft landing gear assembly

Abstract

An aircraft landing gear bogie beam including first and second ends and a mounting bearing for connection to an aircraft landing gear main strut between the ends. Each end has a respective axle, and each axle defines a wheel mounting portion on each side of the bogie beam. The bogie beam is arranged to enable the first and second axles to each pivot relative to the bearing about a respective longitudinal axis of the bogie beam by an amount that is sufficient to place a wheel rim of a wheel assembly in contact with the ground in the event of a tyre of the wheel assembly deflating.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An aircraft landing gear assembly comprising:
 a main strut comprising:
 a body portion extending along a longitudinal axis and including a main aircraft coupling via which the main strut is arranged to be movably coupled to an aircraft, 
 a bogie mounting portion including a first axle portion and a second axle portion, and 
 a dynamic bearing region connecting the body portion to the bogie mounting portion for pivotal movement between the body portion and the bogie mounting portion, 
 wherein the body portion is spaced along the longitudinal axis from the first and second axle portions, and the dynamic bearing region is located along the longitudinal axis between the body portion and the first and second axle portions; and 
 wherein the bogie mounting portion extends along the longitudinal axis; 
 
 a first elongate bogie beam including a first bearing via which the first bogie beam is arranged to be pivotally mounted to the first axle portion and defining a first bogie pivot axis; 
 a second elongate bogie beam including a second bearing, defining a second bogie pivot axis, via which the second bogie beam is arranged to be pivotally mounted to the second axle portion in a side by side adjacent relationship, with the first bogie pivot axis being coaxial with respect to the second bogie pivot axis; 
 a first axle mounted at a first end region of the first bogie beam, the first axle defining a first wheel mounting portion on a first side of the first bogie beam for supporting a first wheel assembly; 
 a second axle mounted at a second end region of the first bogie beam, the second axle defining a second wheel mounting portion on the first side of the first bogie beam for supporting a second wheel assembly; 
 a third axle mounted at a first end region of the second bogie beam, the third axle defining a third wheel mounting portion on a second side of the second bogie beam for supporting a third wheel assembly, the second side facing away from the first bogie beam; and 
 a fourth axle mounted at a second end region of the second bogie beam, the fourth axle defining a fourth wheel mounting portion on the second side of the bogie beam for supporting a fourth wheel assembly; 
 wherein the first bogie beam is pivotable about the first bogie pivot axis independently from pivoting of the second bogie beam about the second bogie pivot axis in order to place a wheel rim of a wheel assembly in contact with a ground surface in an event of a tyre of the wheel assembly deflating. 
 
     
     
       2. The aircraft landing gear assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the dynamic bearing region comprises a spherical bearing. 
     
     
       3. An aircraft including one or more aircraft landing gear assemblies according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
       4. The aircraft landing gear assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the dynamic bearing region is arranged along the longitudinal axis between the body portion and the first axle portion and the second axle portion. 
     
     
       5. The aircraft assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the dynamic bearing region is arranged along the longitudinal axis between the body portion and the bogie mounting portion.